Cutlery Reviews

I am a beginning cook. I have always marveled at the guys in the local shops whacking at the chicken, etc with a meat cleaver. I think I bought the thing for reasons of machismo alone. But, how easy it makes preparing meat and foul. It feels like an appropriate weight to my male hands. A couple of cuts and my chicken is dispatched. The knife looks well-made but it lacks the bolster of high-end Henckels. Unless you are cleaving whale or walrus, I doubt it matters.

A knife! A knife! A knife! AAAA KNIFE! YAAAAAAAAY! I like knives! Like Knives! LIKE KNIVES! EEEEE! OOOOO! AAAAAA! Is this a KNIFE for me? AAAAAA! Is this KNIFE for ME? Is this KNIFE for ME? For CHRISTMAS? For ME? HUH? Mine? EEEEEE EEEEE EEEEE HAAAA HAAAAAAAAAA! A KNIFE for ME! YAAAAAY!

Most cleavers I've owned tend to be top-heavy and unbalanced, but this one has a wonderful, natural heft to it which allows you to precisely butterfly a whole chicken in less than four strokes (not counting the removal of the chest bone). Fantastic!

This would be the one. THe 8" chef's knife was my first Wusthof; and using it for the first time instantly erased any remorse I had about the price. It is an incredibly fine precision tool for chopping, dicing, etc. I cook a lot for fun; and since buying this knife, I have pretty much upgraded every piece of cutlery I use to Wusthof (and I use them all). Still, if I were only permitted to own one kitchen knife, this would be the one.

If, like some pros, you like to grip the top of the blade between your thumb and index finger, forward of the bolster, and wrap the rest of your fingers around the handle, this knife is hard to beat. Such a grip is said to give better control, straighter cuts, and narrower slices than wrapping all fingers around the handle allows.

Yesterday I took a knife-handling techniques course offered by a Wusthof rep at a local shop and was amazed by how quickly this knife turned carrots, celery, and nearly anything else into neat slices and chunks. Using the grip described above, one merely rolls the knife back onto the item being cut, lifts the back only, and repeats, sliding the food into the knife. The front of the blade merely rolls and slides on the cutting board, and is never lifted. (Compared to this, the instructor said my lift-and-chop technique was fairly effective, but abusive! *L*) With this knife, you could cut a carrot or celery into neat, thin little slices in less time than it takes to lift the lid off your food processor and get ready to clean it.

I've got other good knives - prior to this knife, I already owned Henckels 4-star 6" chef's and fillet knives, a Henckels Pro-S 3" paring knife, and a Wusthof hollow-edge santoku (another awesome tool). The Henckels knives are excellent quality, but do not lend themselves to the forward grip; I tried it with my Henckels chef's knife and found that the forged bolster felt sharp-edged when I gripped the blade this way. Make no mistake - the Henckels is an excellent knife and works well, albeit with slightly less control, when all fingers are wrapped around the handle. The Wusthoff knife has a shallower transition fillet from blade to bolster and lends itself to either grip. I'd chosen the 6" Henckels because it felt well-balanced gripping the handle alone, while the 8" seemed heavier and less agile, but with the proper grip the 8" Wusthof Classic is balanced just right. The Wusthof Grand Prix, like the Henckels, tends to encourage an all-fingers-on-handle grip, though the bolster region may be more finger-friendly. I used to look longingly at Grand Prix knives, but last night's class sold me on the benefits of the Classic handle.

Needless to say, after giving it such a thorough tryout I took this knife home with me!

I've had one of these knives since 1968! I've used it several times every week since buying it, have sharpened it many, many times on both a whetstone (with oil) and with a ChefsChoice. The tip is a little bent and worn, and there's a nick in the handle, but it still cuts like new. I would give up my three Cuisinart Food Processors before parting with this knife. It's an essential tool in my kitchen, and I expect to get another 30 years' use out of it.

I bought these knives and I love them. They are a joy to use. Top quality. Check the model #8243 on the Wusthof web site and you'll see they are the real deal. I got them on Amazon when the price was at $239.99. What a steal!

I read once that the best is the cheapest and I find that to be certainly true. These are the best knives ever! They will last a lifetime and save you a lifetime's worth of constantly buying one 20 dollar knife after another. The knives I use time and time again are probably the chef's knife (which I used to find intimidating but no longer) and the 5.5 inch sandwich knife. I love the sharpness, the feel and the weight. It makes cooking and prepping so much faster and easier. I chose the GrandPrix over the traditional styled Classic because of the way the rounded handles felt in my hands and the textured grip makes for never having to stop to dry my hands in between kitchen prep duties. After you have been dicing and slicing for more than 15 minutes, the GP handle doesn't give me the cramped hand feeling that the traditional handles give me. Some people say that the handles easily get scratches but I have had mine for 3 years and don't notice any but I always handwash mine (wonder if that makes a difference) and besides, I consider them tools and workhorses not decoration. I think they say you're supposed to sharpen high quality knives each time before you use them. Yeah right! I never sharpen my knives because they can keep the edge sharp for so long plus I'm plain lazy. My husband does that for me once every 3 months and I notice the difference. But even "dulled" after 3 months with no sharpening, I haven't met a slab of meat or veggie my knives couldn't make quick work out of.

I own the 8 piece classic set; which came with the following: an 8"Chefs,Carving,& Bread knife; 4 1/2" utility, 3 1/2 inch paring, sharpening steel, take apart shears, a well made deluxe oak block which also has room for 6 steak knifes. I also purchased 4 Classic Mignon steak knifes, a Santoku knife, a serrated tomato knife & that still left room for 2 extra knifes.
These are the best investment I ever made in a set of kitchen knifes. They are very well balanced and cut like a dream & hold an extremely sharp edge! I put most of my other kitchen knifes into retirement except for an electric knife on holidays when visiting, and a few special ones. A lifetime guarantee comes with each Wusthof plus I consider it a lifetime investment unless you happen to lose one.
Once you use a Wusthof for a short while, you will appreciate what a well made knife is! (Rated #1 by Consumer Reports magazine.)

This knife is a superstar! I cannot express how much more enjoyable food preperation has become since I purchased it. After two years of almost daily use, it looks and performs like it just came out of the box. Of course, I only hand wash and dry it, and I never allow food or anything else to dry on this gem! Though seemingly expensive, it is well worth every penny!

About 5 years ago I got into cooking stir fry a little bit and found that cutting carrots, onions and many other vegitables was quite a chore with the cheap selection of knives that my kitchen was stocked with. I had to get sometimes near paper thin slices of various ingredients and there was no way even the best knife sold by Target could stack up to the task. I went to a real cookware store and purchased this knife and the 14" sword like knife for starters.

The first slice through an onion I knew where the extra money goes, some of it is for the name, but the rest is all quality. These knives will amaze you with how well they feel with their perfect balance and with a little work, you can get the blade sharp enough to shave with. When I held the 14" knife balanced on a tomato and just pulled, the weight of the knife sliced through it with a clean stroke. The 10" chefs knife I picked up as my 3rd addition and find it excellent for slicing, for dicing I prefer the heavier knife though.

Cut all the coke cans you want with your Ginsu, but leave the real jobs to a real knife.

This 10" chef's knife would impress Crocodile Dundee. It features fine balance and a comfortable handle (like all 4-Star knives) and an incredibly sharp edge. Just be sure to wash and dry by hand.

I received this paring knife (included in the course fee) when I took a Wusthof knife skills course at a local shop. It's everything a knife should be - sharp, solid, well-balanced, and a comfortable fit in the hand. Wusthof got the proportions of the classic-style handle about right; not too fine, not too chunky... just right for comfort and control. After the course I gave it to my mother, who was surprised at its sharpness. (I already owned a Henckels Pro-S 3" paring knife, which has a slightly longer handle... IMO the two knives are similar in quality.)

This is also the knife that inspired a friend who finally bought one to exclaim, "I'm surprised you didn't say, 'You call that a knife????? THIS is a knife!' when you were using my (old, stamped, serrated) knives!" She now understands my addiction to forged German steel.

As always, it's best to try several knives in person and see how they fit your hand before buying, but it would be hard to go wrong with this one.

This is a great addition to any kitchen. I think it will last for the rest of my life! Soon I hopefully can add more of this brand to our kitchen. I highly recommend it!

I've got a cheap-o chef's knife and I've got this little 3 1/2" Wüsthof paring knife. It's a testament to the quality of the Wüsthof that I'd rather use it, even for big knife jobs like chopping vegetables or cutting meat. The quality of the blade more than makes up for the lack in size.

I love these knives. They are extremely sharp, cut well, and have a very comfortable grip. This particular style is more of a pistol grip handle. These are extremely comparable to the Henkle set, both are high quality knives, the deciding factor for me was the grip of the knife. These keep an edge quite well, and do hold a blade that is most excellent. In a years time of extremely heavy use the blade still holds very well. These knives actually making cutting very easy. I honestly grab a knife now when I used to grab the food processor. These by far are the indespensible kitchen appliance in my kitchen.

I own and have tried a number of knives from the standard cheapo's to designer hand-made French knives, and these fill a large general purpose niche. These knives are very sharp (especially after using the sharpening tool) and approach the sharpness of my Kyocera Ceramic knives. Ceramic knives are extremely sharp and hard, but suffer from brittleness and need custom resharpening efforts. The Wusthof knives are well made German "tools" that will hold-up to a certain amount of abuse. For more abuse, I resort to my cheapo knives to cut open packages of food, wine bottle foil, etc.. They are handsome and do have a high-tech appeal but do not approach the beauty of some French knives. The French knives have inlaid wood handles and have a "mirror" finish (which will scratch even with a plastic scrubber), but are limited to tableware use only.
You must be extremely careful not to get ripped-off with a "imitation" German knife. Most knives use a brand-name, but are really made in China. The descriptions and inflated prices can be very misleading. Even with all my research, I was not sure that I had made a wise choice until I looked at these knives and started to use them. Please do the same, since things change all the time and "outsourcing" is all the rage!
Anyway, in summary, these knives are great...so get them before they don't exist!

I have had a set of Wusthof Grand Prix knives for about four years now and I could not be more pleased with their performance, durability, and quality. From the professional chef to the home cook looking for quality to last a lifetime; these knives accentuate the way in which you will prepare meals for a lifetime. The folded stainless steel is of the highest quality available in the industry, and it shows in how long they keep their edge. As with all straight edge knives; never put in a dishwasher, cut on stone or metal surfaces and they will stay in top form.

The look is stunning, the blade quality is very high and the weight is much lighter than other knives. But the handle is not so ergonomic as some other knives (I like the twin select from Henckels) and gets quickly uncomfortably warm when I use it. I would recommend this knife to women due to its lightness and, of course, to design-lovers.

The only thing better than the way the Global knives cut is the way they look. I have been a diehard user of Wusthof Trident Gran Prix knives, but since I bought this set, I have stuck my Wusthofs in the drawer.

The edge on the blades is phenomonal, and I have yet to use the ceramic stone I got with this set. I have decided to replace all of my old knives over the next few months.

We already had a Global Chef Knife when we got this 3 piece set last Christmas. We tried Global after buying a dissappointing Henkel. We are now diehard Global fans. When I visit people's homes and they have dull knives, I am further in love with my Global. It makes such a difference to have a good knife when cooking! Pay bon marche bon!

I got this knife because chef's knives are too wide at the back and wedge the cuts and santoku knives with their ultra thin edges should be saved for softer foods. For cutting squash,carrots and other hard foods this knife is perfect. Great balance, amazingly sharp, cleans easily, and worth every penny.

I loved my 8 inch Global chef knife so much I ordered this veggie knife. Oh wow, this thing is perfectly balanced and because of it's smaller size it is just about perfect for most veggies. It also fits in your hand extremely well. If you are going to cut up a potato, it is hard to beat the chef's knife. However, for cutting up a tomato, carrot, etc. this thing is the best tool I have ever used. Just wonderful!

Until 2 years ago, I used German knives, but even though I steeled with every use, they seemed to dull too quickly. When introduced to the Global line, the first thing that struck me was how well they held a razor sharp edge. Add to that excellent balance and outstanding design and you have top stock!

I've 8 in my collection now and my previous work horse 10" chefs knife has been relegated to cutting pizza!

The only other piece that rates a bit higher is my KASUMI DAMASCUS Japanese SANTOKU Chefs Knife... that is my all time favorite piece.

In summary, this global vegetable knife serves us well everyday. It is simply a pleasure to use, doing its job well while never stressing your grip.

I've worked quite a few kitchens in my life most of them being Japanese restaraunts so I have a little bit of experience with knives and I must say... this Global knife is one of the best I've had the opportunity to use. I first heard about Global in the book "Kitchen Confidential" (Which is a great book, and if you have worked a kitchen or two in your life you will relate to a lot of the stories!). I checked this knife out at the local cutlery store and was immediately impressed. Although not as hefty as my regular 8" chef's, it's balance was amazing. The shaped handle made handling of this knife a true pleasure. The blade truly holds it's edge, and slices and chops like a dream. You will not be dissapointed with this knife, and I have no doubt it will become your knife of choice when working in the kitchen.

One note, although the company recommends using their diamond steel to sharpen due to how hard the steel in the knife is, I found that using my regular steel on occassion works just fine. I know I'm wearing my steel down a little quicker but it realigned the edge just fine.

Yeah, it IS expensive, but knives are man's prime tool with which to rework the world for his intention. While this is an excellent food preparation knife, I have also found that it is a brilliant and expensive tool for the irresponsible, like myself, to pry open jammed doors or open up boxes of books from Amazon. And it STILL makes me happy when it cuts the heck out of some salmon filet or prime loin.

The handle is very nice. You won't slip by sweating on this knife. No siree.

This was my first Global knife, and I've since bought four more. After three years of daily use it's still as sharp as ever, with only a few passes over a diamond steel occasionally. (If you are going to use Global knives, bite the bullet and get a diamond steel.)Global knives are frightenly sharp when they are new, even the serrated knives like the bread knife, which appear more benign. Be careful with these things until you get used to them, even if you've had good German knives before. (No, you won't cut your fingers,you'll be naturally cautious about that, you'll nick an arm or a wrist by brushing the blade, something I never even knew could happen until I got my 10 inch Global chef.)

The eight inch Oriental chef is a great little chopper and slicer, and the very wide blade is nice for lifting slices, but do think about the traditional 8 inch Global chef as your mainstay knife if you're only getting one. This one is balanced for a "push" stroke, rather than the pull stroke that most Western cooks use, the handle is a little high for a good rocker chop -- at least until you get used to it, and the back of the blade is curved, so if you're used to scraping your cutting board with the spine of your blade, this one won't do the trick. Your veggies will escape under the curve. The blade is hollow ground (beveled on both sides) not single sided like the denba, so you don't have to worry about being left or right handed.

None of this makes the knife a bad one, but it does take some getting used to and frankly, I'm more comfortable with the 8 inch chef as my mainstay knife. (The 10 inch chef is a bit of a monster for most tasks. Great for cutting a pizza all the way across in a single rock, but, well... I guess I shouldn't admit I use my good knives on pizza, huh?) You won't go wrong with a Global knife, it's just a question of which one feels right for you.

One more thing: these knives look like modern art, if that sort of thing matters to you. You can see the quality in them as well as feel it.

Henkles is the second best knife out there. Unfortunately, the best one is cheaper. In a straight up comparison with Henkles-five-star to Cutco, Cutco destroyed the henkles knife. I won't mention prices, but Cutco is less expensive. Also the guarentee on Henkles is only "life-time," which by law only means "7 years".
Cutco guarentees forever replacement and forever resharpening for all of it products.
The straight edges on the henkles wore out much quicker than those of cutco. Regardless, the Cutco knives are always guarenteed to always be sharp. So you can always send them back to be resharpened.
Imagine only buying one knife and passing it on for your grandchildren's grandchildren...etc...
You make the choice

Just to let you guys know, Cutco hires what they call "web solicitors" to hype up their products on sites like this. Also, Cutco is sold by Cutco salespeople only and these salespeople have an interest in bashing other knives on the net. Truth is Cutco can't really compare to Henckels in anything but a guarantee, and how often have you known a Henckels knife to fall apart on you (and besides Henckels carrys a lifetime warranty too). A good article on kitchen knives and reviews can be found here[website][website]

My wife did not want new knives. She get attached to things and misses them when they are replaced. She replaced old knives however with this 5 star set, once she had a chance to try them in the kitchen. Great ballance. Very convinient handle. Extrimally well thought through craftsmanship